


Start All Over

by tobeflyhaikyuu



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: College AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-01 11:06:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15141743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobeflyhaikyuu/pseuds/tobeflyhaikyuu
Summary: Roman is very stressed and so sleep deprived, he'd give racoons a run for their money with the bags he has under his eyes. College is already a hassle and his busy schedule doesn't help. When he mets Virgil at the campus' cafe, they do not have the best first interaction. Virgil does not have a good impression of our favorite dramatic boy. While Roman struggles to give an apology, he also starts noticing the new feelings he has for the guy. Now, how can he start over?





	1. a great first oficial meeting

**Author's Note:**

> please consider leaving a comment <3

Why does an alarm clock sound like ambulance sirens when you’re just waking up from a deep sleep? Roman had probably had only one hour of that good rest because that treacherous sound ringed in his ears, shouting at him to get his ass out of bed. Which he did. The moment he swung his eyes opened, he remembered he had to get to class. The sense of urgency was enough to shot adrenaline into his veins and get him off the bed quicker than usual.

He dressed up in the first clothes he could find and shot pass his room’s door, leaving a sleeping Patton inside. His roommate hadn’t been insane enough to get 6 am classes.

A thought occurred to Roman on his way outside the dorm… having had so little sleep, he could probably get tired in the middle of class. His solution was running to a coffee shop on campus.

Roman didn’t register the cashier nearly well enough to know if he’s seen the guy before or not. He said his order and sat down, waiting impatiently for his cup. When it did arrive, he barely let the guy set it on the table before he grabbed it and started chugging it, like the thing was a shot of Whiskey.

“Hey, calm down there, that’s hot co-”

“Buzz off!” Roman snapped, stopping for one second. 

The guy grinned his teeth as he spoke. “All I’m saying is, you’ll get your tongue burned.”

Finishing the, scalding hot coffee, Roman stared at the cashier with a slight amount of anger. “It’s not any of your business, it is Emo Nightmare?!”

“Look,” The guy slammed his free hand on Roman’s table. “I was just trying to be friendly, you didn’t need to be such a jackass about it, Prep.”

“Prep?!” Roman took offense, standing up.

“Virgil!” A familiar voice called, Roman’s head turned to the door to find it came from Patton. His friend approached, putting a hand on the employee’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of this, okay?”

“Fine.” Virgil, it seemed he was called, sneered before going back to the cashier.

“Roman.” Patton turned to him, holding out a folder to him. “You forgot this at the dorm.”

“Oh shit…” Roman ran his hands through his hair before grabbing it. “Goddammit, I have to go. See you later, Pat.”

He set off, running outside the cafe and into the nearest building. He missed his friend’s reply.

 

After that, Roman had classes in the afternoon and theater club at night. Stress was building up, pressure was crushing and sleep… sleep was much needed. 

“Ro…” Patton had already been in their room when Roman got in and threw himself on the bed.

It was bunk beds and his was the top on but the just feel on Patton’s bed, his legs - knees to feet - hanging from the edges and Patton sitting right next to him.

“You can’t keep going like this.” His friend warned.

They had known each other since day one of college and that had just been five months prior. Patton did get to see a more bubbly, happy, loud and enthusiastic Roman… for about a month before the classes he’d chosen plus the theater club started getting too much for him to handle. Now he was just stressed, depressed… and very sleep deprived. 

“I can’t drop out of the morning classes just yet.” Roman said, or Patton thought that’s what he did. The man had his face stuffed on the mattress.

Six months. That’s how long the terms lasted and that’s how long the students had to endure a class before dropping out. There were full thirty days left. Another month enduring economics, something Roman cared very little about.

“I’m so worried about you, though.” Patton played with his hair. “Today you were set off by Virgil trying to warn you about the hot coffee. And you did say your tongue was killing you just two minutes later. I have the text to prove it.”

A grunt. Roman turned his face to the wall. “I know, I know. And I feel terrible. I should go apologize, right? I called him an Emo Nightmare.”

“Roman!” Patton apprehended. 

“In my defense, he did call me a prep!” Roman fired back, with confidence.

That wavered when Patton argued. “Right after you called him an Emo Nightmare.”

Roman snorted, admitting defeat. “I don’t want to face him again. He probably already hates me anyway.”

Sighing, Patton pouted. “Don’t say that! Virgil’s my friend too, you know I work at that cafe. He’s… brewing with anger but I think an apology can fix it!”

“Pat… oh my god…” Roman wanted to get mad at his friend’s pun but it was a good one, so his lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.

“Ha, that’s a good one!” Patton voiced his friend’s opinion. “You know it was. It’s got you smiling for me.”

“Fine.” Roman pushed his torso lightly. “You ball of sunshine.”

“Aww Roman, you’re a real shiny piece.” Patton complimented back, with sincerity.  

Turning again, Roman faced the bed bunk’s ceiling. He put his hands over his stomach and let out a breath. “Just, another month. That’s all I gotta endure. It can’t go too bad.”

 

For the next day, Roman woke up worse than the previous one and he desperately needed coffee again… But he decided to get it from the machine in the dorm. It didn’t taste nearly as good, it actually tasted like burnt coffee but it was still caffeine. It got him through the morning classes.

During the evening, he had some classes of Art History. Oh that, he cared about. Very much. Roman was in love with art and he was willing to study the technical parts of it. At times, it felt like a lot but dammit it was he glad to be in those classes. There was just such beauty in expressing emotions with imagery you came up with.

And apparently, Virgil felt something similar, Roman deduced, for the cashier from the coffee shop was also in that class. It had been five months and Roman had never noticed him there before! But there he was, two rows in front of Roman, three seats to the left.

He had avoiding going to the coffee shop precisely to avoid him, to avoid lashing out at him again. Useless move. Roman should really pay attention to his classmates more…

This particular lesson, he started feeling difficulty with his focus. He knew it had something to do with the Impressionist, Monet, Manet… But the fear of getting caught by Virgil was suffocating. 

When it ended, Roman used his folder to cover his face on his way out. Virgil passed right by him and didn’t say a thing. Letting out a sigh when the guy was out of sight, Roman thanked the heavens. Patton had said an apology would fix it but Roman didn’t even know where to begin.

“Hey, I’m sorry for the other day, I was just cranky and stressed, I didn’t mean to lash out.”

To Roman, it sounded so insincere. And technically it was, because he did get annoyed and he meant what he said, he just knew he shouldn’t have said it. So yes, avoiding the guy was his best tactic. 

 

“He told me you where in that class.” Patton told him from the bathroom. “And I told you he was in it.”

“WHEN?!” Roman objected from his bed. 

“Way before you lashed out at him.” Poking his head from the door, Patton pointed his full-of-foam toothbrush at him. “I’ve been mentioning Virgil to you for months now.” He went back inside the bathroom.

“Oh…” Guilt fell down on Roman. He hadn’t really been listening… 

There was the sound of a spit, and then water running. After that, Patton left and put a hand on the door’s handle. He was dressed neatly, as he always was. But now he had to leave to meet his advisor.

“I’ll be gone for an hour at most. Don’t go to sleep late, Ro.” That was followed by a threatening finger that pointed at him. 

“Never!” Roman made a cross over his heart before laughing. “Have fun with Joan.”

“They are fun!” Patton stressed the second word, turning the door handle. “See you later, Ro.”

“See you, Pat.”

“Nope, you’ll be asleep when I come back, remember?” His eyebrows arched, emphasizing the question.

Roman hissed, closing his eyes and scrunching up his nose. “Right.”

“Roman!”

“Fine, fine!” He held up his hands, giving up. “I’ll be asleep when you come back, Pat.”

His friend gave a smile. “That’s my boy!”

With that, Patton finally stepped outside and closed the door on his way. Immediately afterwards, Roman lied in bed and closed his eyes.

Of course, sleeping at nine fifteen pm proved difficult when you’ve had multiple sleepless nights in a row. Sounds kind of backwards, but that’s how Roman worked.

And soon there was a knock at the door, which served for nothing else other than disturb Roman. He leaped out of the top bed, making his way towards the exist. On the other side, there was Virgil.

“Oh… Roman.” His face fell when he saw the person holding the door. “Where’s Patton?”

“Vir…” Something inside Roman decided to panic. So there he stood, silent for the next couple of minutes.

Now that he had a better look at the guy, Roman’s heart did a gracious backflip. He was gorgeous. With brown grayish eyes and purple bangs that tried to hide them. Virgil seemed to be the shy type...

“Can you answer me?!” Virgil called, waving his hand in front of of him with impatience.

Roman blinked several times before stepping back and answering. “Yeah… Yeah… He went to meet his advisor.”

A frazzled Virgil responded. “He told that was Thursday.”

 

“Well you just missed him.” Roman gulped. “Do you… uh… I mean… What did you come here for?”

Sighing, Virgil extended his hands forward. He was holding a cardigan. “He left this at work.”

“O-Ok.” Roman nodded, taking it. “I’ll give it to him.”

“Alright.”

Then, he walked away.

If this was one of those adorable romcom movies, Roman would have summoned the courage to call Virgil back at the last moment. He’d be able to suck it and give an honest apology and maybe ask him out on a date.

Needless to say that was not what happened.

What did happen was Roman retreating to his room, slowly closing the door because he was so afraid to move. As if moving would made Virgil get away faster. Only after it was all closed, Roman let out the breath he’d been holding. Then he threw Patton’s cardigan on his bed and jumped on his own.

He would definitely not be able to sleep now. Or if he did manage to, his dreams would be plagued by the purple fringe and his stitched up hoodie.


	2. maybe it's something more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave a comment! hope you enjoy

Saturday morning. 

The window of their room got a lot of the sunlight when the sun rose every morning and the drapes were see through. They made Roman’s eyes squint as a reaction, waking up the once deeply asleep boy. When he jumped off his bed, landing on the floor in a less than pain free manner (he messed up on his way down, falling to the floor on his side, his elbow getting most of the hit), he grunted.

Patton woke up with the noise his friend made, staring down at him with concern.

“Roman! Are you okay, buddy?” He asked, holding his hand out to Roman, who took it.

“Yeah…” He answered, messaging his own elbow. “Thanks, Pat. By the way! Did you see your cardigan on your bed when you arrived yesterday?”

“My...?” Patton furrowed his eyebrows, sitting on the bed and looking around. Soon, he reached to the edge of the bed and held his cardigan on his lap. “Oh! I thought I’d lost it, where did you find it?”

“Eh… I didn’t.” Roman rubbed the back of his own neck. “You left it at the cafe and Virgil brought it here right after you left.”

“Really?” His friend leaned it, eyes wide with interest. “Did you talk to him?”

“Well… obviously, Pat!” Roman held his hands at his sides, the palms facing up.

“I mean, did you apologize?”

“Patton…” Roman’s voice deepened when the realization hit him. “Did you purposefully forgot your cardigan there so Virgil would bring it here?”

Yipping with the accusation, Patton gave a guilt sort of a smile. It came with a side of closing of only one eye and hands squeezing themselves in front of the face.

“How did you find out?” He asked.

“You asking if I apologized.” Roman huffed, smiling. “And Virgil told me you told him that your meeting with Joan was Thursday instead of yesterday.”

Patton whimpered. “I’m sorry! I wanted to help, somehow. But tell me… did you?”

“Apologize?” Roman sighed, sitting on the floor and putting his weight on his arms. Then, he let his head fall back. “No, I did not.”

That got Patton jumping out of his own bed, shaking Roman by the shoulders as he yelled. “WHY?”

“cA- Alm Do-Own Pa-At.” Roman struggled to speak until Patton stopped and they looked each other in the eye. “I was… scared, alright? The guy can be pretty intimidating, like… like the brooding emo guy from the movies!”

“Virgil is not brooding.” Patton argued.

“How long have you known him, exactly?” Roman’s question had a hint of knowing into it.

His friend responded with half his mouth movements. “Fifteen years.”

“You’ve been friends since you were three years old, Patton!” Roman scoffed, his inability to talk to the guy weighing on him more for some reason. “Of course he doesn’t look brooding to you.”

“Aw… Roman.” Patton sat down, hugging his friend sideways. He stared at Roman, who tried to avoid the eye contact. “You know you can ask for help, right?”

Roman gave him a bitter laugh. “If I can’t apologize to someone without help, I will be pretty and utterly hopeless, Pat. I refuse to be pretty and utterly hopeless.”

“Alright.” Patton squeezed his arm. “Then what are you going to do?”

Roman had no idea. 

 

Saturday afternoon he had a couple more classes for Art History and for the rest of the day, he was free. He wanted to use that time to paint, he had permission to use the studio on weekends, on the condition that he’d share with other students who wanted to use it as well

Setting up the place, he got a canvas - that was his own - and the tripod right in the middle on the room. Roman hadn’t even gotten all the different colors of paint he wanted when someone else came in. Both him and the new addition were shocked to see each other, mainly because the new addition was Virgil.

Roman had used the studio nearly every weekend since the course started and he’d never seen the boy there. It made sense since, according to Patton, Virgil’s major was business and not Art History. They only had that one class together. So… why was he there now?

Thinking Virgil would turn around and leave, Roman returned his attention the paints and his canvas. And then Virgil stays. He walks by the edges of the room, not quite crossing Roman, keeping a distance.

_ Ha. _ Roman thought.  _ He hates me so much to the point he won’t even come close. That sounds about right. _

As Virgil sets up his own equipments, Roman starts panting. It begins as a scenery, a vast field with flowers and the sun set. And then Roman hates it so he paints it all black. Next, he brags white crayons and sketches a person.

There are the eyes, mildly squinted with their dark brown pupils. There was the nose, with a little bump on the bridge, long and slightly pointy. There were the eyebrows, dark browns too, which contrasted with the purple bangs. 

_ Oh shit, this is Virgil. _

Roman lunged at the canvas, covering the image with his own body, even though Virgil was behind the canvas and not in front of it. But the boy noticed the odd action and send a look of confusion Roman’s way. So, he proceeded to pick it up and walk out of the studio hugging it, all the way back to his room.

With Patton working at the cafe, Roman was alone there. He put his painting up on his bed and fell to the floor, lying with his arms and legs stretched apart.

“This is a crush.” He concluded out loud. “I have a crush. Oh Mariah Carey!”

Reaching for his phone inside his jean pocket, Roman wanted desperately to talk to Patton. He wouldn’t call but he needed to tell him… at least ask for them to talk right after Patton finished his shift? It was the text message he sent.

Now Roman had an unsolicited crush and a painting he made of said crush. Also black paint stains on his shirt and coat. What else could he want in the entire world?!

Apologizing now would be… aside from a little bit late, also impossible. 

A buzz interrupted Roman’s train of thought. His phone, lying on the floor, had received a message. Roman didn’t really have to check it to know it was Patton.

**Do you need me now?** He asked.  **I can leave my shift early.**

Something, Roman’s knowledge of the boy actually, told him that Patton was already on his way. Roman didn’t bother replying and soon enough, his friend was walking inside their room.

“Ro…” His voice was cautious, caring. “Why are you on the floor?”

“Because I have a crush on Virgil and I noticed it just now when I was at the studio painting and I accidentally painted him after he walked in and started painting too, because sure that’s how it works right, this isn’t something that happens just in movies for comedic effect, I literally just went through a movie scene, whAT AM I DOING PATTON, I HAVE NO IDEA!”

A squeal had cut through half way that speech and got louder, becoming the loudest after Roman was done talking. Patton pulled Roman up and hugged the man after that.

“You have a crush on Virgil!”

“Why… is that making you so happy?” Roman questioned.

“I’m a sucker for love, Roman, you know this.” Patton smiled, pulling away. “Now I can help you two get together! I can be a matchmaker, and match you up!”

Roman’s eyes widened with the terror. “OH NO YOU DON’T!”

“Why?”

“I just- I don’t-” What, exactly, was he trying to say? Not even he knew. 

“Ro.” Patton grabbed him by the hand to get all of his attention. “I won’t help if you don’t want me to. Even if you don’t have a reason.”

A tear formed on Roman’s eye and only that one. He didn’t let it get any worse. But he was full of love for his friend at that moment.

“I would literally die for you, Pat.”

“OH NO, YOU DON’T!” Patton mimicked, with a little bit of seriousness hidden in there, before hugging Roman. “Just come to me first when you do want the help, okay?”

“Of course.” The boy smiled, squeezing his friend.

  
  


Virgil didn’t expect the studio to be open. There was no logical reason for this, he just- imagined it closed. Whenever he wanted to go there and let out a bit of his creative side out, he talked himself out of it, thinking that the studio wouldn’t be open simply because he wanted to use it. But that day, Logan talked him into it.

“Let us start with a fact.” His roommate sat across from him during lunch hours. “You told me before that the studio is open from eight in the morning to nine at night on the weekdays. And stays another hour open during the weekends. Today is a Saturday, a weekend day. And it is only one o’clock in the afternoon. So tell me again why you believe it will be closed?”

“Just because.” Virgil stuffed a piece of meat inside his mouth.

“Not a valid excuse.” Logan filled his spoon with rice. “You are going right after your shift at the cafe and that is it.”

“Logan-”

“I do not understand art.” His friend started. “You know I have tried, more than once, and I failed at every turn. But you have made me understand some parts, by the way you talk about it. And I also fail to understand why you major in business when you are clearly more passionate about art, but that is another issue. What I mean is that you don’t nurture that side of you unless someone is there to push it. I sought you to tell me about the artistic movements, you didn’t seek me to talk to me about those. I want you to start trying, that is all.”

Silence reigned the conversation for the next minute. “Alright… I’m going after my shift.”

Virgil avoided looking directly at Logan after speaking that line but he couldn’t have missed the victorious grin the boy gave him even if he had tried.

 

“Hey Virge!” Patton greeted him from behind the counter, wearing his apron and cap.

Virgil let himself smile and gave a lazy wave as he got where his friend was, grabbing his own apron from the hanger and putting it on himself. Patton gave him a list of orders before heading back to the cashier.

The afternoon was their busiest hour. Virgil had gotten very good at juggling orders on his arms as he went by the tables and gave the respective one to their orderer. And it had only been five months! But he liked the job, and it gave him a less to do worry about money-wise, student loans and all.

“Pat, do you think it’s okay if I leave a bit early today?” Virgil called once the clientela died down.

“Sure, Virge.” His friend smiled. “I can handle things here. Where are you going, though?”

Virgil had anticipated the question and started smiling with the feeling of victory as the answer rolled from his tongue. “The studio.”

Patton gasped, closing the register and running towards Virgil on the other side of the counter. “REALLY?!”

“Yeah.”

“Good, good!” His smile became wider. “I wanna see what you make afterwords! But one thing, before you go could you make and deliver this order for me?”

He handed Virgil a piece of paper with one of the most complicated drink they had in the menu. But it was only 4:47 pm, Virgil still had time so he accepted.

It took him about five minutes to make the order. What kept him the longest was the teacher who had ordered it. She was a lovely old woman… who just so happened to rant about her life a lot. Virgil politely listened to her talking as much as she could, before telling her he had to leave for something.

When he got to the studio, the door was closed. But there was a sign outside that asked for people to closed the door because of the air conditioner that was on inside. So that didn’t mean anything, surely. It’d still be open. It was just five in the afternoon.

Pushing the door open, Virgil had expected it to be full. Art students all around, is what he’d pictured. But inside was just, Roman.

Chills travelled down his spine when he saw his friend’s friend again. Patton had told Virgil that he wasn’t that mean all the time, that Roman was actually sweet and a massive dork. Virgil just couldn’t see it. And honestly, those screams from the last time left him a bit… scared. He’d never seen someone raised their voice quite like that before, not even his parents. 

So, as Roman painted whatever he was painting, Virgil stuck to walking next to the walls. He grabbed a few things, a piece of paper, pencil, eraser… Then he sat on a desk on the west side of the room and started sketching.

The environment was quiet for a while, awkwardness hovering in the air, but mostly it was comfortable. Until the sound of Roman’s tripod rubbing against the floor ripped through that silence like a pair of hands ripping paper. Virgil lifted his head to see Roman hugging his canvas, the paint most likely clinging to his clothes, and he also watched as the boy walked out, still hugging the thing. That was the most awkward thing about the entire situation. 


	3. finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title may be misleading ;) hope you enjoy!

“How was everything at the studio?” Logan greeted Virgil as soon as he stepped inside their room, his friend reading a book on his own bed, which was on the left side.

“Good.” Virgil sat on his after closing the door, scooching closer to the wall and bring his legs closer to his chest, hugging them. “Slightly weird.”

That statement caused Logan to put his book down almost as if it was instinct. But not before putting a bookmark between the pages he was reading. As his friend leaned in with curiosity, Virgil sighed in anticipation. He knew Logan would want every detail, especially if Virgil asked his opinion about the incident. And Virgil always wanted Logan’s opinion on everything. Even if they’d know each other for only six months, they hadn’t really had any problems. And before either could actually get a grasp on it, they’d become quite close.

“What happened?”

“Well,” Virgil started, explaining everything that happened with Roman that afternoon with as much detail as he could single out from his memories.

“Huh.” Logan picked at the skin under his lower lip, thinking. Then, he whipped his head up and stared at Virgil. “What do you suppose he was painting? Clearly it was something he did not want you to see.”

This confused Virgil. “What the hell would be paint that he wouldn’t want me to see? We’ve barely even talked before.”

“I do not know.” Logan admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. “But, his actions were that of someone embarrassed, or ashamed or… scared.”

“Roman? Scared of me?” Scoffing was the only possible response to give there.

“Of your reaction, more precisely.” He corrected.

“It doesn’t make sense, Lo.” Virgil insisted, lying down, head on his pillow and legs hanging in the air.

“It does, actually.” Logan stood up, walking to his friend’s bed and sitting at the edge. “You just have a tendency to think you are not that important.”

That phrase hurt, most of all for being the truth. And it showed up in his dreams, in some rather… random ways. Like engraved in the ancient tomb that was made of jelly in which he was going inside with someone who fluctuated between being Logan and his mom every five minutes.

 

Sunday was a slow day for everyone.

Virgil never took shifts on Sundays and even though Logan stayed outside for most of the day, the only college related thing he did was signing up for debate class. Virgil remembered the excited - using the term very loosely - Logan that he met on his first day at college, he’d been looking forward for the debates. Except the course didn’t take first year students. But now that the term was close to the ending, sign ups for the next term were being held at the building in which they held those classes.

“Unrelated… but not completely, do you happen to know Roman’s last name?” Logan asked him when they were walking around campus.

Virgil took a moment to reply. “Kastler. Why?”

“He was on the sign up list.” Logan pondered before turning to him. “Did he seem like the debater type to you?”

Huffing, Virgil didn’t hesitate with his answer. “Not in the slightest.”

“It could probably be why he signed up then.” His friend concluded. “We are all here to learn.”

As he rolled his eyes, Virgil smiled to his friend. “Sure. When does the first class start?”

“May… 4th.” Logan replied, squinting his eyes at nowhere as if he was trying to make sure that was really the correct answer, and then he nodded firmly deciding that yes, it was. “And also,” He added, “it is an open class. So you could come and watch me? Maybe?”

“Sure, Lo.” Virgil linked their arms as they walked, putting his hands inside his hoodie’s front pocket. “Can’t promise I’ll have much of a presence there though.”

“Not necessary anyway.” Logan smiled. “I’d just like to have a familiar face nearby on my first day.”

“I can do that.”

“Oh it should be fun!” He took a peak at the sky for a moment before turning back to Virgil. “I don’t know if I will be able to wait a whole month, Virgil.”

“Nonsense.” His friend micked him. “You do not have anything stopping you from waiting that long.” A smirked marked the end.

Logan stopped in his tracks, pulling Virgil back as he’d taken more steps ahead. Then, his friend squinted his eyes at Virgil, filling the boy with a sense of regret and dread.

“You make a good me.” Is what Logan throws at him after that excruciating moment of silence.

“Goddamit, Lo.” Virgil laughed and they resumed their walk. “Don’t you dare scare me like that again.”

The comment made Logan shrug, his lips curling into a grin. “Your reaction was just too good.”

 

During the next week, nothing worth noticing happened. Virgil and Roman didn’t see each other outside class - Patton told Virgil his other friend was avoiding the cafe - and things were as normal as a life in college could be.

When Thursday rolled around, of the next week, Virgil and Logan received a knock at their door. At three in the morning when both were asleep.

Both grunted, Virgil’s being the loudest and he dragged himself out of bed to yell at whoever was waking them up at such an ungodly hour. He was surprised but sort of blessed to see that the bastard was Roman. So good for Virgil! He had another reason to hate the guy.

There was a lot different about him though. For starters, he didn’t bear his usual perky teethy smile, or the posture of royalty. The circles under his eyes were darker than they should be, as well as his clothes had a lot more wrinkles than they needed to have. Summarizing, Roman looked like an uncool mess.

“What, the hell?!” Virgil barely bother opening up his eyes completely, looking down at the floor to Roman’s left instead of at him directly. “Do you know how late it is?!”

“Not really.” The boy replied with sincerity, rambling on. “I just- I drank lots of coffee and redbull cause I had this project to finish that’s due tomorrow - what kind of professor gives you three days to make a realistic painting about something important to you? - but anyway, when I did finish it, I just felt restless and then I remember I still need to apologize to you from like… over a week ago when I yelled at you for literally nothing. Also that I owe Patton twenty dollars and I have a standing invitation to dine with my aunt on the weekends but those are other things.”

Virgil hissed, playing with his own jaw left and right. “It’s three in the morning. Can’t we do this later?”

“Three?” Roman whimpered, knocking slightly at his temples. “I have to be up in three hours…”

“So do us, we would appreciate immensely if you would just leave.” A annoyed Logan argued from his bed.

“Right.” Roman stepped back, sighing with tears forming on his eyes. “I’m going, I’m so sorry.”

Without a reply, Virgil closed the door and went back to his bed. As he lied down, the image of Roman crying stuck in his head. It took him less than two minutes to stand up again and go to the hallway. As he’d imagined, Roman was there, sitting on the other side. He had his head held slightly up, the back of it on the wall, along with the rest of his torso. His legs were lied out in front of him, ready to make anyone trip over them… 

“What is going on with you?” Virgil sat down next to him before asking.

“I’m so so so so so desperately sorry, Virgil, I-”

“That wasn’t my question.”

“I was getting there, ya nut.” Roman snapped, sighing in response to himself. “I’m sorry, that slipped out.” 

Virgil watched him take a deep breath before running his hands over his own face, the tip of his fingers clinging to the space under his eyes and above his cheeks. He proceeded to clip his hands together and put them over his own lips, licking them afterwards in what Virgil thought was a nervous-trying-to-think-of-what-to-say gesture.

“I messed up. In all ways I could possible mess up at college.” He finally started. “I signed up for too many classes, some of which I don’t even actually care about at all but still need good grades in, and even the thing I enjoy became so stressful because of it. I overloaded myself, and I got exhausted, and I took it out on you. And it wasn’t fair of me, I don’t think it’s even fair of me to apologize after so long- I just-” He let out a bitter laugh. “I’d never admit this to you if I was well rested but dude, you’re intimidating.”

“Intimidating?” Virgil questioned, that was one the last things he’d say about himself.

“Yeah.” Roman started playing with a lock of his hair. “I just didn’t know how to approach you after that, I guess.”

Part of Virgil wanted to admit he had been scared of Roman. The bigger part of him yelled at him not to. So he said the next best thing.

“I get it. But right now, I’m just missed you’re making me lose sleep.”

“Yes, I knoooow.” Roman’s left leg shook as he said that, his face turning to Virgil. “I didn’t check the clock before coming here.”

Virgil huffed. “Clearly.”

It took a long moment for Roman to reply. “I shall be going now, then. And uh… sorry again for-”

“It’s fine.” Virgil cut him off. “You seem like you need the sleep more than I do.”

“Ha!” Roman forced a smile. “I still have caffeine running through my veins, if you think I’m going to sleep now, you are dead wrong my friend.”

Shaking his head, Virgil snorted. “You’ve been making all the wrong choices, huh?”

As he nodded, Roman stood up, Virgil following his lead. “Yes… But,” Roman interrupted himself putting one finger up. “The term is getting close to the end, so when the new one comes, I will get better. If it’s the last thing I do!”

“Right, cause you could die trying to make yourself get more sleep and work a little bit less.” Virgil’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Is that why you signed up for debate classes?”

“How did you-”

“Logan saw your name on the sheet.”

“Well…” Roman took a few steps away. “Not really. It’s just been meaning to do it since I got into college. And since I’ll have a better schedule in three weeks, I just went for it.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Thank you.” He articulated each word. “Uh… have a good middle of the night then, Virgil.”

“Yeah.” Virgil opened his room’s door again and whispered the next part before going in. “You too.” 

Inside, the lights were on. Logan was sitting on his bed, using his phone. Lifting his head up, his eyes immediately found Virgil standing at the door.

“I hope you managed to resolve whatever that was.” He commented.

“Yes, Lo.” Virgil sighed, slowly getting back under his covers after turning off the lights. “I’m sorry I woke you up again.”

“I was awake from the moment he knocked on the door.” Logan responded, putting his phone on their nightstand. “Good night, Virgil.”

“Night, Lo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave a comment <3


	4. oh shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> creative title, i know  
> hope you enjoy, please leave a comment!

Roman stumbled against the walls of the hallway more than twice on his way back to his room. The tiredness was making his body weight, and eyes burn. As he entered, he saw his roommate deeply asleep in his bed, snoring, and Roman sighed. While he himself begged for sleep, his brain was wide awake and screamed, asking for stimulation. Roman refused to wake up Patton for his own entertainment.

Instead, he resorted to his phone and Youtube. And then the alarm clock sounded through the room, the numbers showing it was already 6:30 in the morning.

“Good morning!” Patton jumped off his bed, a smile on his face as he turned around to face Roman.

“Mornhgcd-” 

Now his eyelids were on the verge of closing completely, his consciousness slipping. His phone was also sliding down his hands that hung from the edge of his bed, but Patton caught it before it fell to the floor.

“Ro, when did you go to sleep?” Concern filled his friend’s voice.

“I…” Roman yawned, stretching out his arms and legs as far as they could go. “I didn’t.”

“ROMAN!” Patton apprehended. “How do you do this to yourself?! You know how important sleep is.”

“Yeah well…” Shrugging, Roman yawned for the second time. “With all the caffeine I ingested yesterday, my sleep went to take a walk and got lost, probably found a Starbucks on the way somehow because my sleep is a caffeine addicted bitch.”

He didn’t need to look at Patton to know his friend was suppressing a laugh, while also giving him a worried stare. “Maybe you shouldn’t go to class today.”

“What?!” Roman shook his head, the movement waking him up for good. “No, I can’t miss class, Patton!”

“And you being there will help you… how, exactly?” Patton argued. “You’ll just fall asleep during the first ten minutes.”

“I…” Grabbing at his own cheeks, Roman squeezed them before he spoke. “I will not.”

“Just stay in today.” Patton pulled the blanket in his bed and put it over Roman, who acted in protest. “You have a deadline today, right? The painting? I can swing by your classroom and leave it with the professor, say you’re sick.”

“Pat-”

“Sleep.” His friend ordered. “Tell me which painting it is first, but go to sleep.”

As he bit his own lips, Roman fought his own instincts of insisting. Patton was right and there was no way he could last through an entire day of classes.

“Fine.” He let out a huff. “It’s the left one leaning against the wall.” 

Roman watched his friends take a few steps back and grab the canvas on the left. “This one?” He nodded in response. 

“Alright.” Patton smiled. “I’ll come by during lunch. Please rest.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Lying down again, Roman stared at the ceiling. “Thanks, Pat.”

“Don’t mention it.” He heard the click of the door opening and soon, his roommate was no longer in sight.

Exhaustion washed over him like heavy rain pouring down. It wasn’t long before he was snoring in bed, tucked in with the blanket Patton had lent him.

 

By the time Roman was up and feeling like himself again, the clock on their nightstand showed 4 pm. Nine hours of sleep did him wonders, oh man. His body was lighter, closer to normal, and his eyes didn’t seem like they were boiling in hell anymore. The thoughts in his brain became more corehent as well, something in the back of his mind nagging at him to revisit the conversation he had with Patton earlier in the morning.

He had told his friend to pick the canvas on the left side. Roman turned cold with the thought that he had made a big mistake.

With a quick leap over the edge of his bed, Roman was on the ground again. He dragged himself over to his painting, the one with Virgil’s face plastered over a black opaque background, or the one he hoped was such. Reaching for it, Roman turned it over to face the work and was met, instead, with a portrait of his family. Himself, with his mom and dad, and Thomas, his little brother. A family of members with olive skin, rather than just one pale skinned individual with dark bags under his eyes. 

“Oh no.” He froze for a second, the pieces coming together in his mind. “Oh hell no, no no, no!”

Taking the canvas with him, Roman ran out of his room with the pajamas on. He bolted across the dorm, reaching campus and ending his run at the coffee shop. For a moment, he’d forgotten Virgil worked there as well and seeing the boy serving one of the tables inside made him run on the opposite direction and hide behind a tree. Roman wished desperately that his crush hadn’t seen him but he also didn’t dare to check if Virgil was coming towards him.

_ My phone.  _ He thought to himself, as he reached for it in his pants only to be reminded that he left it in his bed.  _ Dang Hades’ flames. _

His only other option was going to the professor herself, so it’s what he did. He picked up the pace once more to find her inside the classroom.

“Roman.” She greeted with a smile. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, yes-” Roman cursed himself as he trembled, holding the canvas in front of him with the painting facing the teacher. “I’m sorry, I just- my friend dropped the wrong canvas.” He extended his arms towards her. “This is the right one.”

“Oh I thought there was something strange about the other painting.” The professor grabbed the object and put it down near her desk. “It seemed rather… unfinished.”

“Yeah…” Roman laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. “It was just an experience, I guess.”

“It has potential, though.” She grinned, getting the eraser for the board. “I’d love to see the final product if you ever decide to go through with it.”

“Yeah… say…” The dread question was rolling off his tongue without his consent. “Did anyone see it?”

The teacher, as she erased the board, never looked him the eye as she answered. “You want to know if Virgil saw it.”

“Well…” Roman fidgeted with his fingers. “Yes.”

“He did.” She set the eraser down as Roman felt the hit of her words. “And he seemed really surprised.”

Now, Roman struggled with his speech. His mind went blank, no phrases formed and he just froze all over again. 

“Roman?”

“Yes?” He blinked a few dozen times before focusing on her. “Ah, can- can I have it back?”

“Of course.” She nodded with a worried glance before disappearing to another room, coming back with the canvas two minutes later.

“Thank you.” Roman didn’t waste more time inside, he ran back to his dorm.

He met with Patton outside. The boy had his hand into a fist, turned slight, ready to knock on their door. When Roman got closer, he snapped his head to the side and grabbed Roman by the arms.

“What are you doing here?!” He inquired, pointing at the door right after. “I thought you were inside there!”

“Oh, Pat, my dear friend…” Roman sighed, dread filling his chest more and more. “I gave you the wrong canvas this morning.”

“Wait-” Patton’s expression shifted, his eyebrows turned into thin lines that elevated at the end, and his lips pouting. “Then what did I give Virgil?”

“YOU GAVE THE PAINTING TO VIRGIL?!” Yelling, Roman sensed his heart beating faster. 

He knew Virgil had seen the damned painting, but he figured he’d seen it from a distance, sitting at his desk while the painting hung under the board from their classroom. He had not expected this. 

“I was in a hurry!” Patton argued. “I hadn’t seen the painting, so I just gave it to Virgil, asking him to give it to the teacher and for him to tell her you were sick!”

“That’s it.” Roman’s shoulders dropped, his eyes burning now with the threat of tears. “My life is over. I have nothing left to live for. THIS IS THE END, PATTON!”

“Ro, calm down.” Patton started brushing his hands against Roman’s arms, in a gesture to relax him. “I know Virgil, he’s probably thinking that it’s…” He trailed off.

“What?” Roman insisted. “What is he thinking, Pat?”

Hissing, his friend replied. “That it’s just a joke.”

“NO!” His eyes widened, his mouth pronouncing a dramatic ‘no’ which followed a gasp. “Just when I had straightened things out with him, this cannot possibly be happening right now! WHAT DID I DO TO MAKE THE UNIVERSE HATE ME THIS MUCH?!”

“Ro…” Patton put a hand on Roman’s back, guiding him inside. “You can just talk to him, it’s okay.” He closed the door.

“How, Pat?! It took me three redbulls, two cups of coffee and twenty four hours of sleep deprivation for me to just apologize to the guy!”

“Wait-” Patton’s lips curled up into a cheeky smile. “YOU APOLOGIZED TO HIM?! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

“My mind wasn’t really there this morning, Pat.” Dragging himself to his friend’s bed, Roman let himself fall into the mattress, trapping his own hands between it and his body. “Thgsh it the engh”

“It’s not, Ro.” Patton sat down next to him. “Like I said, you can just talk to Virgil. I’ll go with you if you want.”

Freeing one of his hands, he used it to grab Patton’s wrist. “Ysh plesae.”

Suddenly, he felt something caressing his hair as Patton’s laugh filled the air. “How about you go to the coffee shop with me tomorrow, then?”

All Roman did in response was give him a thumb up.


	5. excuses are all that he hears

Virgil stared down at the canvas Patton had shoved onto him, the painting slowly coming into focus. It was face - his face - that stared back. His friend had told him that it was Roman’s work, Roman had painted Virgil’s face, feature by feature. This is what he’d hidden from Virgil that day at the studio, probably. And supposedly it was supposed to be the most important thing in Roman’s life? as the project demanded? 

Maybe some people would be flattered but if Virgil hadn’t been scared of Roman before, he felt it now. Frankly, it seemed like a creepy gesture, to say the least. They barely knew each other, for fuck’s sake!

As he took deep breaths, Virgil pretend that the portrait wasn’t of him. It was simply Roman’s painting that he needed to turn in before a deadline. Just that, and nothing more. So he carried the canvas all the way to the Art’s History classroom.

As the hours of classes came to an end, another shift at the coffee shop began. 

“Hey, Virge!” Patton greeted Virgil inside, handing him his apron. “Thanks for this morning, Roman was really in need of help.”

“Uh… yeah, Pat, about that…” Virgil tied it around his waist, meeting his friend behind the counter. “Didn’t you see what he painted?”

“No.” Patton frowned, standing at the registered. “I’m sure it was a work of art though!”

“Well,” Virgil chuckled lightly. “Yes, but-”   
The doorbell rang as a customer walked in. Apologizing to Virgil, Patton turned his attention to the woman and her order. It left Virgil to sigh and start preparing the coffee and muffin.

With work to be done, he never got to question Patton. Virgil’s shift ended earlier than his friend’s and he’d already marked with Logan to meet at the library. Inside, the boy had been reading, his glasses sliding down his nose. Approaching with care, Virgil poked Logan on the shoulder, making him jump on the chair.

“Were we not in a library, I would have just screamed at you.” He said with a deathly stare.

Grinning, Virgil took a seat in front of him and leaned back. “Sorry, man. It was just too easy.”

Logan huffed, before closing the book and setting it down the table. “Your text message seemed rather… urgent. What is the matter?”

“Remember the canvas Roman hide from me at the studio?” Virgil leaned on the table as his friend nodded. “It was a portrait. Of me. Or a much… better looking version of me.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Logan scratched his chin before looking at Virgil. “Are you quite sure?”

“I saw it this close to me, Lo.” He put a hand close to his face to illustrate the distance before dropping it. “I’m a hundred percent sure.”

“So what do you want to do about it?” 

“I don’t know.” He bitter-laughed, shaking his head. “At first I thought it was a genuine thing but we barely talked, he can’t think i’m that important in his life. It must’ve been a joke.”

Logan hummed. “I doubt Patton would be friends with someone who was capable of making such a ill meaning gesture.”

“He wouldn’t.” Virgil agreed. “But maybe he just doesn’t know Roman is capable of it. They’ve known each other for five months.”

“It is something to consider.” Tapping above his upper lip, Logan entered his deem thoughts, Virgil could tell. It took the boy another moment to resume his speech. “Maybe it was a mix up. Had the assignment been given the day you met him at the studio?”

“I-” Virgil stopped to think, his memory failing for a little bit. “Y--- No, I don’t think so.”

“I assume talking to him is the best course of action.” Logan concluded. “Remember, you have little information about the situation to make the conclusion that is was what some ill humored people consider a joke.”

 

With Virgil’s advice in mind, he decided to go to Roman first. A rather out of character thing for him to do, but the push from Logan worked and his curiosity, for the first time in a while, shouted louder than his anxiety. He went knocking on his room’s door, at a rather… late hour.

It was two am.

“Virge?” The door opened, Patton holding it as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. “What are you doing here, buddy?”

“Is Roman awake?” 

“No, but I can wake him up for you.” He offered, pulling Virgil inside.

Panic rose up on his whole body. “I-I can, don’t- I’ll come back later, Pat!”

“Oh no, I know what you came here to do.” Patton started shaking the sleeping boy. “And he-” he shook more. “is too stubborn, i’d have to drag him out of bed-” he continued. “to take him to you-”

“Pat, let me sleep!” Roman mumbled, Virgil bawling his hands into firsts by instinct. 

“Virgil is here though.” Patton singsoned, sending Roman into an almost defensive stance as he sat up in bed.

“Virgil?!” He inquired.

“Yeah…” His voice came out raspy. “Hi.”

“Okay.. okay.. okAY!” Roman’s cracked. “We need to talk.”

“Yeah.”

Clasping his hands together, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few seconds. Once he was done, he intertwined his fingers and put them behind his head. 

“About the painting.” He started, pulling his fingers apart right after. “It was a mix up, I gave the professor the real painting this afternoon. I’m so sorry, I hope you know I wasn’t trying to hurt you in any way!”

“Oh…”  Virgil had expected the anguish in his heart to be gone after hearing those words, but it wasn’t. Instead, it grew, taking hold of him and making him shake as another question formed in his head. “But-- why paint me at all?”

“T-T-Tha-That…” Visibly struggling with an explanation, Roman turned to Patton. “What was that?”

Their friend held both Roman’s and Virgil’s arm, in an attempt to calm the boys, as he squeezed himself in the middle. Virgil didn’t know if it worked for the other, but to him, it served as a little bit of comfort. 

“It was just practice, Virge.” Patton assured. “Ro needed to pay the environment and while you walked in, you just became part of the painting, that’s all.”

“But it’s only me-”

“It’s unfinished!” Roman cut him off, facing him. “Ha, I didn’t get to finish that day.”

Silence reigned for a while. “Really?” Virgil stretched out the first syllable. 

“Yes, that’s all.” The other nodded with increasing speed until he gave himself pain in the neck, rubbing its side.

Staring from Patton to Roman, Virgil would’ve sensed the lie even if he wasn’t the most suspicious person in the room. But a small part of him, a part that wasn’t ruled by either curiosity or anxiety, told him not to poke at the truth anymore. It asked him to accept this as the actual truth and go back to his own room, so he could get some sleep and not wake up as a zombie the next morning.

“Alright.” It’s what he decided to do. “And uh- I’m sorry for coming here so late.”

“It’s payback for yesterday.” Roman smiled, laughing a little. “I don’t mind.”

“Ok, then.” Virgil nodded, showing himself out. “Have a good night then.”

“You too!” His friend and Roman replied in unison.

Closing the door behind him, Virgil stood there a bit longer, staring at the wall in front of him. No thoughts came to him in the meantime, for that time period, Virgil felt like he stopped existing. He remained so still and unmoving, someone passing by might’ve thought he was a mere statue, sitting right in front of dorm room. 


	6. lil time skip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woooooooooooooooo a chapter update at two am? dis more likely than you think  
> hope you enjoy, pls leave a comment!

"Just one more week..." Roman whispered to himself as he let his back fall on his bed.

Classes only seemed to be getting harder for the man, more sleepless nights burned through his energy and the assignments... Oh the assignments. They pilled on, and Roman had this mental image of a tower of papers looming over him, ready to fall on top of him, mashing him on the ground as it smashed him to bits and pieces. He'd become a flat human pancake by the end of that week.

But it would all be worthy it, for summer vacation was right on the horizon.

"You have any plans for the summer, Ro?" Patton asked from the bunker under Roman, writing on his laptop.

"Ahm..." Roman stared at the ceiling. "I have some assignments I need to finish and I'm sure I will not get those done before summer break so I shall be unavaliable for the first... four days, I believe." He stopped, an idea coming to mind as he hummed and scratched his chin. "But wHAT IF WE DID ONE OF THOSE ESCAPE ROOMS?"

"OOOH," Patton jumped from his bed at the time as his friend did, both staring at each other. "YES! Those are so always much fun. We'll be trapped in a mystery."

Laughing, Roman shook Patton by the shoulders. "It's been forever since I did one of those, but they're one of my favorite things!"

"Same here." Patton's lips stretched into a smile. "But hey... could I invite Logan and Virgil?"

"Logan and V-" Roman's excitment faltered for a moment, his posture straightening and his mgvements getting slower before he shoot his head back up. "yOU KNOW WHAT, YES INVITE THE SPECS AND MY FREAKING CRUSH. It should be fun."

"Of course it will!" Patton put his hands over the boy's shoulders, looking him in the eye.

"You know Virgil doesn't bite, right?"

"He might as well." Roman aspirated, letting his shoulders fall. "I told you, he's brooding."

"He is not, and I can guarantee you that precisely because I have known him for fifteen years."

"Pat-" "Just get to know him. He's a huge lovable dork." Patton grinned with the promise. Roman stopped, giving his friend eyes that questioned such statement.

"I can't even get close to him without having my thought getting all jumbled, Patton."

"Untrue." Patton pointed. "But... how about you come invite him to the escape room with me tomorrow? I'll be right next to you if you freeze."

As he snickered, Roman nodded. "Sounds helpful."

"Soooo?" Patton sing sung. "I usually meet Lo at the library during the weekends. I can ask him to bring Virgil."

Roman's eyes shifted from his friend to his feet, several times. Honestly, just the thought of speaking to the man made his stomach crumble, twist in on itself, roar in despair. All that was to say that, he was a suave son of a bitch, unless he actually romantically liked the person he was talking to.

"Alright." He sighed, deciding. "Bring on the... awkwardness." He said this next thing throwing his head back. "I AM READY!"

 

At least, he thought he was. Up until he actually spotted Virgil, sitting in a table with Logan at the library, he had convinced himself that he had managed to summon enough courage. And maybe he had in reality, but it just all ran to hills when his crush laughed lightely at something Logan had said. The librarian even came to shush him and the boy sank his head between his shoulders, mumbling something that Roman assumed was an apology. As he made an very inhumane sound, Roman slid his back against one of the book shelves, letting himself fall to the floor.

Patton, hovering over him, giggled before poking at Roman's head.

"You okay there, buddy?"

"No." Roman cried out. "That was some adorable shit, right there. MY HEART CANNOT TAKE THIS, PATTON!"

His friend shushed him, with a finger over his own lips, before sitting down next to him. "Yes it can, now, come on. They're waiting for us."

"Give me a minute, yeah?" Roman begged, a hand over his chest, where his heart probably is - in all honestly, Roman always forget which side it's supposed to be in.

"Tell them I... had to go to the bathroom."

"Okay." Patton stood up, ruffling up Roman's hair. "But please don't run out on us."

"I won't" Roman promised, watching his friend navigate around the shelf and towards the table their friends were sitting at.

Hearing Patton's cheerful voice from the slight distance, Roman took a deep breath in, eyes closing. He repeated the process four times, only satisfied when he felt his heart rate going down. And he did that by checking his chest, wirst and the upper parts of his neck. With that, Roman stood up, petted his entire outfit twice, and only then, started moving to meet his friends.

"Hey, sorry for my delay." He took a seat next to Logan.

"It is quite alright." Logan leaned back on his chair and held his hands together, putting both his index finger on his lips. "So, Patton told us you two have a proposition to make for us?"

"Well, yes," Roman glanced at Virgil at this point, watching his guarded attitude, before turning fully to the man prompting him to speak. "Summer vacation is coming soon, and I had the idea of doing one of those escape rooms with Patton, and he had the idea of inviting you two. And honestly, the more people, the more fun it is. So... anyone up for it? On the second week, cause I shall be busy for a while at the start of summer."

As he supported the weight of his head with his hands under his chin, Roman saw Logan and Virgil exchanging looks while Patton stared, crazed eyed, with excitment in anticipation. For a long torturous minute there, Roman let the silence give him paranoid thoughts.

**What if they just laughed? Escape rooms could be a very childish activity... maybe...**

**What if they found it too weird? Patton was friends with both but Roman was sure he only had three conversations with Virgil thus far, and this was his first one with Logan. Things could get awkward.**

**What if... a meteor was coming to Earth at that precise moment and it was going to strike down on them right before they could give him an answer and maybe it killed all three on the table, except for Roman, for some reason, who would have to live with the uncertainty for the rest of his miserable life?**

Well that had gotten dark way too fast. Roman ignored the last morbid thought.

"I..." Virgil finally spoke, grabbing Roman's full attention. "I never tried doing one before. How does it work?"

"Essencially," Logan started, "we are all locked in a room with hidden clues inside. There is a general story we are supposed to uncover and make sense of, usually leading up to a code or key that opens the door so we can leave before the sixty minutes are over. Of course, the workers will let us out when the time runs out if we failed at the game."

"Locked?" Virgil's eyes widened a bit. "Like... trapped inside a space for an entire hour?"

"Yes," Patton put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, "but Virge, it is all very thought over. They have a panic bottom inside all rooms, and it never too small of a space, I promise."

The last comment made Roman's eyebrows furrow. Was Virgil claustrophobic? Surely Patton knew this, why had he suggested they asked Virgil if that was the case?

"Hm..." Virgil bit at his nails. "Give me until the end of classes to answer, yeah?"

"Of course." Roman stepped back in the conversation. "Nobody is going to force you to go."

"Thanks." Virgil stared down at his lap, playing with his sweated paws.

At this, Roman shot glances at Patton, trying to convey one simple thought through them.  _What the heck is going on?_

 

"Dang it." Patton hit the sides of his head with his wrists, taking turns. "Dang it, dangit, DANG IT!"

"Patton," Roman walked with him, opening the door to their room, "tell me something! Anything!"

"I forgot Virgil had problems with being closed off like that." His friend shook his own head, sitting on his bed. "I completely forgot it, oh my god, I am such a horrible friend. How could I have forgotten it?! I was there! Oh jesus..."

"What, what happened with him?!" Curiosity took the best out of Roman, who kneeled down near Patton, putting his hands and full weight on the man's legs.

"I'm sorry, Ro." He stared down at Roman, with a sad sort of smile. "This is Virgil's thing. I can't tell you, I don't know if he would be comfortable with you knowing."

Picking at the skin of his bottom lip, Roman lay his head on Patton. "Understandable."

"I hope he doesn't feel pressured to go." He commented. "I cannot believe I forgot about it..."

"Pat, my friend." Roman stood up, sitting on the bed with his friend. "It was an honest mistake. And if your friendship with him was strong enough to survive through middle school, high school and the start of college, certaintly it is strong enough to survive this."

"Probably." Patton returned with a smile. "And Virgil never likes it when I apologize too much..."

"See?" Roman cocked his head to the side, leaning it on Patton's shoulders. "It's going to be okay, padre. And if he doesn't want to go to the escape room, we can always take him somewhere else, right? An open space, not too crowded. How apart an amusement park?"

That got a giggle out os his friend. "Sounds an amusing idea. Depending on the theme of the park, Virgil would love it."

"WE HAVE A PLAN B THEN!" Roman jumped off the bed, positioning himself in front of Patton. "I can come up with plans up to the letter H, if you need."

"Why H?" 

"Because my creativity factory always runs out around eight ideas." He shrugged, climbing the metal stairs to his bed. "We'll see!" 

 


	7. gotta have a little angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can someone give me a Patton, I WANT A PATTON

Thursday. The last day, before the actual last day of the semester.

“I am done for!” Roman declared, lying on his stomach, his hand hanging over the edge of his bed. “Patton, make sure my family knows I love them.  And inform Virgil of my undying love, he must know about it if I’m dead!”

Giggling, his friend bumped his first into Roman’s, sitting on the wheely chair. “Will do, Ro. But I think you’ll wake up just fine tomorrow morning.

“Hardly!” Roman protested. “My body aches so, and my mind is foggy. I might just turn to dust when the sun rises…”

“Why must you give me more work to do, Roman?” Patton pouted. “I’ll have to dust your remaints off the sheets! How will I remain the same if when the sun rises you will have become part of my vacuum cleaner?!”

“Ha ha.” Roman faked a laugh, sitting of, before actually laughing. Then a thought came to mind, and he stopped. “Say, Pat… Has Virgil said anything yet?”

The freckled boy took a while to reply. “No, I haven’t heard anything from him.”

“Darn Zeus…”

“We shouldn’t have asked, Ro.” Patton’s voice became deeper, slower, as he avoided looking at his friend. “He must be feeling so uncomfortable. I don’t want to make him do this.”

“You won’t.” Roman jumped off his bed, resting his hands on Patton’s shoulders to reassure him. “I won’t. He doesn’t need to come if he doesn’t want to.”

“I shouldn’t have suggested it…”

“It’s this why you’ve been avoiding Virgil all week?” Roman turned him around on the chair, making them face to face. “Yesterday I went to see you at work and Virgil had the ugliest frown on, he wouldn’t even come near you. Were you just ignoring him then?”

“Ro-”

“And the day before! He came by our lunch table to ask something and you pretended you couldn’t hear him!” He continued. “The day before that, he had come to the dorm and you had left already, you didn’t even tell me where you went. Was it so I wouldn’t tell Virgil?”

“Roman-”

“You gotta stop, Pat.” He let his hands fall to the side of the boy’s arms. “You’re beating yourself over some stupid little mistake, and pushing Virgil away in the process! Don’t you think he hasn’t answered yet because of that? If Virgil might’ve thought I hated him when he saw that painting I did, what would he think when his friend of fifteen years starts ignoring him, out of the blue, huh?”

“I-”

“HUH?” Roman insisted, leaning closer.

“I don’t… even know how to apologize…” Patton shook his head, burying his face into his palms. 

“Oh my-” Roman couldn’t help the laughter that came from him. “I believe we have come full circle.”

“You mean you couldn’t apologize to him before and now--” Patton cracked a giggle himself. “Yeah… I’m a hypocrite, aren’t I?”

“Maybe.” Roman knelt down, putting his arms on Patton’s legs and looking up at him. “But our circumstances are different. Plus, we’re two different people. But you’re hurting Virgil a little bit.”

“I knoooOooOoOw.” The boy cried out. “I’ll go talk to him.” He gently pushed Roman back, allowing himself to stand up. “Now!”

“YES!” Roman cheered on. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“Yes, please.” Patton pleaded in a smaller voice, holding out his hand in the boy’s direction.

 

“Virgil, for everything that is logical and sane,” Logan dropped his book onto his lap as he stared at his ambulant friend, “WILL YOU PLEASE STOP PACING AROUND?”

As he bit through the tips of his nails, Virgil shook his head. “Patton hates me. I’m pretty sure he has me now!”

At this, Logan scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Hardly. He is your best friend and I am certain that boy is incapable of hating anyone.”

“Then why has he been avoiding and ignoring me ever since he invited us to the escape room thing...y?” Virgil banged his fists at the sides of his head. “What… Logan, what did I even do?”

Sighing with the knowledge that his friend was upset, Logan stood up from his bed and walked over to him. “I am not sure you did anything, Virgil. This might be solemnly Patton’s problem.”

“I’m scared.” Virgil admitted through closed teeth. “He never pulled away like this before…”

And that’s when Logan saw himself at a loss. One, he didn’t have much experience with friendship to start with. Two, feelings were icky bitty little complicated things he tended to avoid. Three, he just… did not know how to comfort people if it didn’t involve him stating facts.

Logan didn’t have any facts for this.

Luckily, a knock on the door saved him from having to say anything. Before attending to it, Logan put a hand over Virgil’s shoulder and squeezed it, for reassurance.

On the halls, he saw, stood Patton. With Roman standing right behind.

“Hey Lo.” The smaller one waved, with a sad sort of smile on his face. “Can… Can we come in?”

“Of course.” He stepped aside, letting both boys through. “I do believe you owe Virgil apologies and explanations first.”

“That’s what he’s about to do.” Roman told, gently pushing Patton forward, in his friend’s direction.

“Hey… Virge.” Patton called with Virgil trembling in his spot. “I am so so sorry,  I-” He put his hands on the boy’s arms with a careful touch. “I suggested asking you to come with us to the escape room, and I had forgotten you don’t like being locked in rooms and I thought you hated me, I-”

“What?!” Virgil finally looked his in the eyes, the eyebrows furrowed.

“I thought…. You were mad at me,, for forgetting.” Patton now started crying, trembling. “And I avoided you because I was scared… I’m so sorry…”

“Patton…” Virgil embraced the boy in a hug, which was unusual of him but not when he was with Patton. “I wasn’t mad.”

“I know!” The boy hugged back. “Roman put some sense into my head, that’s why I came to apologize, and I’ll never do this again, I promise! I must have hurt you so much, I’m so so sorry!”

“Roman?” The boy arched one eyebrow at the other’s direction, who flinched with a nervous smile plastered on his lips. Then, he turned back to the one in his arms. “It’s okay, Pat… And you know what? I… I do want to go to the escape room.”

“What?!” The other three screamed in unison, making Virgil release Patton to block his hears with both his fingers.

“Rude,” He remarked afterwards, “and unnecessary.”

“No, we’re really happy you’re coming!” Patton assured. “I’m just… Are you sure, Virgil? If it’ll be too uncomfortable, we don’t want to force you!”

“Not at all!” Roman added.

“And you guys will have all the fun without me?” Virgil smirked. “I’d feel left out.”

“NOOoOoOoo…” Patton pouted.

“Then I’m going.” The other continued. “I think one of you mentioned before that they have a panic button? So I’ll be good.”

“Yes,” Logan pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, “they do have those. No legit company that deals with the safety of other human beings would be that negligent.”

Roman laughed. “You said legit.”

“What is so hilarious about it?”

“Internet slang.” Virgil explained to the unamused Logan. “Not that it actually means anything different from how you used it. It just sounds weird… like… being used in the correct way.”

“Yes,” Roman pointed at him, “that.”

“So we’re all seeing each other during summer break?!” Patton squealed. “Is that what we’ve just confirmed?!”

“Yeah, Pat.” Roman hooked his arm around the boy’s neck. “Seems like it!”

“BEST SUMMER VACATION EVER!”

“It hasn’t started yet-” Logan was cut off.

“I LOVE YOU GUYS!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment pleeeeeeeeease


	8. an anxious boi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm totally not projecting onto Virgil, nossir, I WOULD NEVER

Finally at home, Virgil lied in bed. It was the first day of summer vacation, and Patton had told him he’d call telling the date for the escape room. It seemed to depend solemnly on Roman, who had pending projects to work on for the next college semester.

**It’s going to get awkward.** He had texted Logan the night before, at two in the morning when his friend was most likely a sleep.

**_I would appreciate an specification._ ** His phone buzzed with the reply in the morning.

**The escape room. Roman will be there, it’ll get awkward.**

**_Not necessarily. What are your fears, exactly?_ **

Getting into specifics? Virgil didn’t have the answer to that. He simply had this feeling of dread stuck in his chest and he didn’t know how to pull it out. Maybe it was just too engraved in him by then, so if he had to pull out the dread, he’d have to pull out his own heart.

The boy spent a lot of time staring at his phone before actually typing out any words.  **Some… things.**

**_I hate it when you’re just vague._ ** Virgil chuckled at the phrase, imagining his friends sighing before typing it out.

**I don’t know myself, alright? I’m just feeling uneasy.**

No messages came right away. So instead of waiting, Virgil set his phone aside on his bed and reached for his laptop sitting at the end of it. He opened Netlflix and searched for Doctor Who, seeing they added a new season.

“Perfect.” He mumbled and smile to himself before pressing send.

Twelve was explaining to Missy and Nardole something about gravity near a black hole and how it affected the time string on the ship they were on when his mom called him down stairs. She wanted his son to help her clean the bathroom.

“Going!” He yelled, not taking his eyes off screen until the next scene started to play and he pressed the spacebar on the keyboard.

Half an hour later, Virgil threw himself onto his bed again. Before resuming to his beloved tv show, he grabbed his phone and saw a couple of texts from Roman, and even more from Patton. He figured his old friend had given Roman his number. Nothing harmful, but he wished Patton had just given him a heads up.

From his new acquaintance, he got the following:

_ Hey Virge, I got ur number from Pat. Sorry to bother, but do you the list of books for the next semester? I cant get to the website and I seem to have misplaced the copy I made. _

_ By the way! Random question, having nothing to do with college… would you… just so…. happentolikeDoctorWho? _

_ I just had a theory and I dont know anyone who likes the show bUT I MUST TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT IT!! _

Well that was one big fluke. Virgil hadn’t managed to get Logan to watch Doctor Who (yet) and Patton… Patton didn’t understand much. He watched it and he loved the characters but he kept asking Virgil so many questions, it was a little bit hard to enjoy just… watching it. Maybe Roman was like that. But maybe…

And then his old friend’s messages were as followed:

Do you know Dodie’s Rainbow?? I’m crying because of it, Virgil, CRYING!!

I love it so so so much. You should listen to it, I think you’d like it too.

Before answering to either boys, Virgil opened another tab on the laptop. To youtube, on the search bar he typed the name of the song Patton just recommended. And when it started, Virgil already felt a twinge of emotion, tugging at his heart.

The lyrics were very relatable, Virgil being bi and agender. It struck a chord, soon the boy had tears in his eyes.

**Thanks for the heartache, Pat.** He sent to his friend. 

Do you like it????

**Yessssss, it’s a good song.**

I KNOW!!!

Then, to Roman. He grabbed a piece of paper he had on his nightstand drawer with the list he’d asked for. Taking a picture, Virgil sent it to the him.

**I love Doctor Who. Spill.** He said, right after.

_ THANK YOU, I OWE YOU MY LIFE!!  _ Roman replied.

_ And right! So, think Twelve, right? He met with the Testimony and told them his memories could fill so so many of them- _

**SPOILERS!** Virgil sent before finishing the message.  **I didn’t get there yet.**

_ Shit! Sorry, Virge. Lemme know when you finish the season then! _

Snickering and grinning down at his phone, Virgil wrote.  **Sure.**

Now that was one topic of conversation they had for the escape room. Except for Patton, which they both knew and befriended. But Virgil figured it would make the boy embarrassed of just uncomfortable if his friends just used him as a conversation starter.

Regardless, the uneasiness of interacting with Roman outside college remained. Virgil was bad at making friends, he couldn’t even figure out how Logan put up with him. And Patton? Well, they’d known eachother since disappears, when Virgil had no anxieties and no concept of the word ‘friends’. 

Pushing his phone aside again, Virgil resumed his Doctor Who episode. Barely ten minutes in and the bed buzzed, which means that either of his friends or Roman had texted him again. The banner on the screen showed Logan’s name. Pausing one more, Virgil unlocked his phone and read the message.

**_Knowing you, and knowing Patton and myself, even if Roman proves himself to a be a bit of a wild card, I am sure this will not be as bad as you dread it to be._ **

It was a nice sentiment, and probably would turn out to be true. Logan wasn’t usually wrong and that contributed a bit to a superiority complex. But for the moment, Virgil still felt exactly the same as before. And it wouldn’t change until he was there, trapped in a room with two of his favorite people in the world, plus what was still essentially, a stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave a commeeeeeeeeeeeent


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